Getting Started with Beat DJ: Livecoding Beats

Beat DJ Interface

Ready to make music with code? Beat DJ turns your terminal into a powerful music creation tool. This guide will get you creating beats in just 15 minutes, covering the essentials without overwhelming you with advanced features.

Step 1: Setup Your Workspace (2 minutes)

Before making music, let's make Beat DJ comfortable to use.

Adjust Your Display

font

Choose a font size and color that's easy to read. Try font 16 cyan for a good starting point.

screen

Optimize your screen resolution for performance. Press Enter to accept the defaults if unsure.

Pro Tip: Press Ctrl+C to cancel any command and try again if you get stuck.

Step 2: Load Your First Sounds (3 minutes)

Time to make some noise!

Set Your Source Folder

src chooseFolder

or just src if you are on mobile

Tell Beat DJ where your audio files are located.

Load Sounds

s kick

Load a kick drum from your files.

cs clap

Load a clap from Beat DJ's cloud database - thousands of professionally processed samples at your fingertips.

Load any random sound to experiment with.

Basic Playback

Play your loaded sounds - they automatically sync together!

st

Stop playback.

bpm 128

Set your tempo. All sounds automatically adjust to match.

Step 3: Basic Sound Control (5 minutes)

Now let's learn the core editing pattern: <selection> <command> <arguments>

Essential Editing Commands

0 le 8

Set sound 0's length to 8 sixteenth notes.

kick in 2

Position the kick at the 2nd beat.

1 shi 2

Shift sound 1 right by 2 sixteenth notes.

Create Rhythmic Patterns

hat pat

Create a grid pattern for your hi-hat. Beat DJ will guide you through building the perfect rhythm.

1 shu

Shuffle the chops in sound 1 for variation and human feel.

Use up/down arrows to browse command history
Press Tab to repeat your last command
help shows all available commands
help <command> explains specific commands

Step 4: Live Performance Basics (3 minutes)

Beat DJ's 4-channel system lets you perform like a DJ with headphones and speakers.

DJ-Style Mixing

0 mv 1

Move sound 0 to speakers (you'll be prompted for transition time).

kick mv -1

Move the kick to headphones for cueing.

a mv 0

Move all sounds to the staging area.

Add Some Effects

0 mo bitcrush 5

Apply bitcrush effect to sound 0 with intensity 5 (scale 0-9).

fx 1

Choose effects for effects rack 1, then assign sounds to it with 0 rac 1.

Step 5: Save Your Work (2 minutes)

Don't lose your creation!

Project Management

save my_first_beat

Save your current project.

load

Browse and load saved projects.

rec

Record your live performance with all effects.

Essential Commands Cheat Sheet

Sound Loading:

s - Load random sound
s kick - Load specific sound
cs clap - Load from cloud database
src - Set source folder

Playback:

p - Play
st - Stop
bpm 128 - Set tempo

Basic Editing:

0 le 16 - Set length
kick in 3 - Set position
1 shi -2 - Shift timing
hat pat - Create pattern

Live Performance:

0 mv 1 - Move to speakers
kick mv -1 - Move to headphones
0 mo distortion 7 - Add effects

Project Management:

save - Save project
load - Load project
rec - Record performance

What's Next?

You're now ready to create beats with Beat DJ! Once you're comfortable with these basics, explore:

Sound Banks: Save and organize your favorite sounds with bank and sb
Multiplayer Mode: Jam with friends remotely
Advanced Effects: Explore the full effects system with fx
Song Structure: Create full arrangements with arr and spp

The command-line interface might feel unfamiliar at first, but you'll soon discover it's the fastest way to turn musical ideas into reality. Start with these essentials, and gradually add new techniques as you build confidence.

Ready to dive deeper? Check out the complete Beat DJ Zero to Hero guide when you're ready for advanced techniques.

Happy livecoding with Beat DJ!